Great versions of two of my favorite songs. Just grateful to be able to experience great shows from before my time. Bless every sound board operator, musician, and dead head involved in this production.

This performance of Morning Dew is my all-time favorite Dead performance. The band is so tight during this performance and the guitar solos are expertly executed. This is the performance that got me truly hooked on the Dead. In high school when my car was taken by my parents due to them discovering substances they did not approve of, I was forced to ride my bike to work at Taco Bell. I would listen to Morning Dew twice back to back and by the climactic end of the second listen-through, I would come screeching to a halt at the doors of Taco Bell. In a way, the punishment imposed upon me resulted in a deeper love for the Dead.

The band opened with Truckin' each night of this legendary stand, but the final night's Truckin' is like no other. You can feel the Earth crack open to expose the very roots of rock-'n-roll as Garcia settles into a celebration of old-school rock revue, sprinkled with good ole Grateful Dead strangeness. Which to me is always the best of what the band was - the All-American dance party of teenagers, apple pie and Uncle Sam, but with the underbelly siren song of weirdness and hypnotic, expansive exploration.

I was always curious if Bobby's comment after Truckin' ("Hey man, go back to 1959!") was a reaction to someone in the audience shouting a request, or a comment on Garcia's throwback riffs throughout this Truckin'.

The jam after alligator and drums is sublime. I swear every time I listen to this how I think they're gonna go into The Other One after alligator, Phil is dropping bombs. I hear hints of the other one and saint Stephen in the jam after drums. It really makes you wonder what direction they're gonna go and the product of this is a great jam. This is improvisation at it's finest.

There's real majesty and power in this Dew, and to me is an important entry in the evolution of this song over the years. Later Dews are sweeter and milder especially during the 1975-1977 period, often marked by subtle opening bars. These dreamy versions are more minimal. But the earlier Dews are at times more psychedelic, in the style of the day. Some of the earlier Dews are very much of their time, and echo sound qualities often heard in the music of the Byrds, and Jefferson Airplane. This one, in particular, starts with thunder. I mean, holy hell. So you have that wall of sound that announces what's coming, and you also have extra volume on Jerry's opening high notes. I think we hear a return to this much louder, more powerful Dew in the later years, like Alpine Valley (1989).

I'm just blown away by this one, though. Bloody glorious. Has all the power and thrill of, say, one of Hendrix's longer pieces, like Machine Gun, recorded the year before also at Fillmore East.

Someone give me a time machine.

I first heard, and recorded, excerpts from this show (Second That Emotion, Casey Jones, Truckin' Sugar Magnolia, and a few others) way back in the late 80's on David Gans Grateful Dead Hour show. These versions have been burned into my brain as I played the cassette nearly to the point of ruin. Jerry's guitar tone and playing is tremendous, and I understand he was playing a custom guitar through this run of shows before returning to his standbys. Pig and the band as a whole are in rare form, and I would definitely put this show up there among some of the best I've heard. My only regret is that I could not have attended even if I wanted to - I was only about to turn 1 year-old. Thank God it's in the archive.

This is one of the greats. Even "Ripple" sounds special (i.e., it's always pretty, and this version is even better than many).

The Alligator/jam is some of the finest Grateful Dead I have ever heard. Maybe they stopped playing it after this because they knew they couldn't take it any further.

When picking favorite Dead shows, I would select any of the '71 Fillmore East shows over anything in '77.

Duane Allman was not at this show. In fact, besides the New Riders, there were no guests. Also, Duane did not play on China Cat Sunflower. His set was on April 26 and the songs he played on were "Sugar Magnolia", "Hurts Me Too", and "Beat It On Down The Line".

Now to review this show: If I was on my deathbed and had to recommend one moment of pure bliss in the world of music it would be the "Alligator/Going Down The Road Feeling Bad/Cold Rain And Snow" jam. Simply beautiful. It's a shame that we're missing parts of "China/Rider" and "Bird Song" but what can you do. Just get high on what you got.

This Hard to Handle is awesome, but my favorite Weir solo for this song is from 4-28 , and for the Jerry solo and Phil bombs and the Pig rap I strongly prefer 4-22-71. Not that 4-22-71 is more intense, I just like the melodic interplay better. Also my favorite Morning Dew is from 4-28-71, and I don't even like this one. Unfortunately the commercial release picked 4-29.

As for my take on this show, it's definitely in my top 10 for about 50% of the songs (the other half I skip over). I've been listening to this Fillmore run since '84 and I still adore it. Particularly love Bill's drums on Minglewood, Phil's bass on Sugar Mag and like others have said below the Alligator>Cold Rain has to be some of the best music I have ever heard. Also love the Midnight Hour.

Listened to this show after learning the late GREAT Duane Allman sits-in on several songs in the second set starting with Sugar Mag..Duane and Jerry play some cool dual leads, then Duane grabs the slide...very cool interplay!; Next Pig does It hurts me- Jerry stays in rythmn while Duane plays slide and Pig gets into harmonica. Then they do China Cat, Duane and Jerry do some really cool interplay in the beginning of the song.
Duane and Jerry had huge admiration and respect for one another.

8-6-71 kicks the ever-loving shit out of this version - jerry peaks WAY higher. not to downplay this version in the least tho... it SMOKES.

This show is the best of the run, with the previous night a close second. The playing on here is a little more loose and the show is longer than the other shows from this run.

Commercial releases that use a fraction of a show and then render the original complete show unavailable are a drag. That said, most of us were into trading and poking around for shows before the rise of the internet. This show and many others are still out there -- via mail or DC internet trade -- it just takes a little more effort, which is memory serves, was half the fun of collecting.

This show is apparantly not available to even listen to (let alone download) because it has been "commercially released". I own that commercial release and aside from the below par recording quality, it does not contain this complete show. Rather it is cobbled together from three or four shows including this one at the whim of the editor. None are complete.

WHY IS THIS SHOW HERE? THERE IS NOTHING TO DOWNLOAD OR EVEN TO LISTEN TO. WHY HAVE A SHOW LISTED AND NOT MAKE IT AVAILABLE TO LISTEN TO OR DOWNLOAD? hhhmmm Free advertising?

WE KNOW WE CAN "BUY" THIS SHOW, OR PARTS OF IT.
SO WHY IS THIS SHOW LISTED HERE? THERE ARE TOO MANY SHOWS LISTED TO HAVE NON-SHOWS LISTED WITH SHOWS AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD, OR STREAMING.

THIS SHOW IS NOT BEING SHARED, IT'S BEING EXPLOITED. Avarice is not a vitue, man.

i own this tape and i own the offical release of the 5 night run ladies and gentlemen and let me tell u this has been one of my personal fav tapes for a long time sweet sweet stuff i love the dew and the alligator and pig absolutely owned the night once again with the midnight hour into awbygn and an awesome second that emotion yes there is some problems with the equiptment but this show shines a def must have for any collector go out and by ladies and gentlemen great compilation

To the person who doesn't know what the fuss is about- maybe you should listen to the whole show before writing a review. The first set is funfilled with an excellent Hard to Handle, then ending with a cherry on top, Second that Emotion. The second set will leave you humming for a week! Great Alligator->Jam->GDTRFB->Cold Rain and Snow; they keep going strong throughout the whole second set. One of the best intros to Rain and Snow I've ever heard, and Jerry and Phil still have enough in them for a great China->Rider! Must have for the earlier collection.

Disclaimer: I'm not a big Deadhead. Workingman's Dead, the Skull and Roses live album, DP4, obvious stuff. This Fillmore run is turning into heaven for me as you might imagine. Thanks to all who reviewed the show making it an easy choice for a 71 download. You didn't let me down, it's fantastic. Everyone is singing very well, playing great with a good mix, hours of Great American Music, love it.

I'm halfway through listening, and don't know what all the fuss is about. Performances are adequate, but uninspired from where I sit. And the band takes several minutes between most songs to deal with equipment problems, broken guitar strings, out-of-tune instrument, and who knows what else.

Holy Moly I'm as high as spicolo. This show is unreal. I know what your thinking, this show is too long, there are too many songs in that show. They can't play that many songs and put on a dynamite show. I mean come on, they can't possibly keep the energy up through that many songs right? Well let me tell you. They not only keep it up, but they absolutely fucking shread every song in this show. This show could be used to show everyone out there that the Dead were the best and the only. Nough said

birdsong,is a 5 star in my book the whole show rocks. had it on tape for years,bet you did too!!

You gotta love the Bill Graham rap before Midnight Hour.
"Don't be assholes all the time. Leave it hang and leave it up to them. More, more, more..."
Classic Uncle Bobo right there.

In responce to the last reviewer, yes, download this show, it's beyond great but it won't become a Dick's Picks since parts of it are on the "Ladies And Gentlemen" release. Just so the record's straight. One of the Dead's better releases in the past few years.
A+ recording / A+ performance / 5 skulls.

The sound and song selection of this show are among the best.

Download it now before it becomes another Dick's pick.

I would give this one 10 stars, but only five are allowed.

Sound Quality A+
Set List A+
Interesting elements A+

Overall Fantastic.

I tip my hat to those who uploaded the show and those who worked on putting the tape up in this fantastic condition.

This show is a wonderful example of why the Grateful Dead will always deserve a place in the Valhalla of the greatest music of all human history. At once they can be old-timey, original, cutting edge, exploratory, tight, and infinitely timeless. I might pick this as THE show to send into outer space for aliens to figure out an amazing bit of Americana called the Grateful Dead. Thank you archive!

cannot beleive that this morning dew is not listed in the compendium. the dew from the night before is but in my opinion this one is better. its true that the show in general is 5 star, but this dew is a top ten! jerrys pace and tone set the mood for the best dew ever played in the fillmore east. just something about the fillmore sound. i have tried to listen to every dew in the archive but cant find a better one. sure sure the ithaca77 dew is great and the hollywood palladium dew from 71 is also good but the 4-29-71 dew is my favorite.

I have been listening to rock music, including the Dead, for nearly 4 decades. I went to many concerts in the 70's and less in subsequent decades. In my opinion 1971 was the peak of rock music as a "genre", with more great music than any other year. Of all the incarnations of the Dead, I liked the "Pigpen era" the best. (my guess from what I have read is so did the band.) I believe this music is Pigpen and the rest of the Dead at their best. Unlike the earlier music, mind altering substances are not required to fully appreciate this music. This is just flat out great rock and roll at the peak of a bygone era. 5 stars for sound quality, 5 stars for the vocals and instrumentals, and 5 stars for set list. I have not found anything as good on this site. If someone else has ,I would sure like to know what. Many of the songs (e.g.Cold Rain and Snow) are anthem like. Absolutely great music. 6 stars. "I'm goin where those chilly winds don't blow".

Cut this show some slack, the review below states that the band is off and uninspired? Hard to believe, I always held this recording, and the 7-2-71 Fill West termination of the Other One, as the two highpoints of the era, one I wish was longer. As they find thier way out of alligator, clearly unwilling to play the tail end (recognizing this isnt' 67, they carve new space out enroute to GDTRFB which is unique and highly valued by this head. However the Cold Rain and Snow is where the magic lies. "yes it seems weak at first, right up until the first turn, then they pick it up, as if the lull in the start was planned. Same thing with the Me and My Uncle from the first set (scull and roses) seems as if billy's beat is dull until it all changes after the first turn. Words don't do justice.
The midnight hour is always special too. Listening to Bill's talk btw encores about stop asking for more more from the band, sounds a lot like record-bigwigs complaining about downloads, strange.
4-29-71, the final Fillmore East is essential listening material.

This show is a great example of the band on a night when they barely hold it together. Full of technical problems and long gaps, missed notes and out of tune guitars... What kind of glue are you guys sniffing?

telling the "MORE!" chanters to get some f-ckin respect...that's why he's the uncle!

love the pure groove bass by phil...listen to the start of I Second that Emotion...when its just the guitars, thin....then comes phil, and you go, "there's the foundation!" i am not a phil-aholic, but this is a sublime sound coming from him at this show. boogie boogie!

Supurb

This and 4/28/71 were the first Grateful Dead shows I ever heard and they still have a special place in my collection to this day, over ten years after a Deadhead friend handed me four tapes that were extra copies of shows he already had.
When I first heard Truckin', I immediately recognized it from the radio. I thought, "well, this is a pretty good song." I listened to Bertha, Hurts Me Too, Cumberland, and Me & My Uncle and thought, "well, I can't see why everyone is so excited about this band, they're just OK, not great."

But then Bird Song started and my viewpoint took an abrupt 180 degree turn. When I heard this song, I was blown away immediately by how beautiful it was. I mean, the closing jam in this version is fucking second-to-none. Except on the tape, it cut off abruptly and I was pissed off. Still, I played the song over and over and simply couldn't get enough of it. When I finally played the rest of this show, including the Alligator and the Midnight Hour, I knew that this band would take up a lot of my listening time. And they did. I now have over 300 shows in my collection. Thanks GD.

By the way, gotta love that complete Bird Song!!!

Probably one of the better sounding concerts from thr archive. Definitely one of the best, if not the best from 1971 and earlier. Worth a lossless download.

Also, great version of Smokey Robinson tune " I Second that emotion".

I cannot believe that more has not been said about this performance. This is the refined primal, say we say, quintessential, Morning dew. Jerry still employs those young, high note in the intro., the build within the jam segment melts with pig's organ - the ROOTS - primeval - achtypeal - the Grateful Dead!

Five for the Dew
Four for the whole

The Midnight hour-Goodnight is breath-taking, unique and intense!!!

The goodbye Fillmore East rap is essential...but just check out the set-list Cumberland, Hollow, Bird song, Ripple, Minglewood, Second that Emotion...very diversified.

Exceptional multi-track sound...most of this show is on "Ladies and Gentlemen..." for a reason. But get this, it's better with all the crazy banter between tracks.

Yeah, the "Bass groove" in this show is immense...maybe the best live bass guitar mix ever!!!

The best show ever...A perfect show...PigPen was on...Phil was outrageous! Jerry was sweet! Check out how he makes Bobby laugh during truckin by plunkin' some funky cords. The Hard to Handle will make you Holla! The Midnite Hour... Superlative... and the JAMS will blow you away. If I was on Survivor...I could easily survive with just some water and this show....
it is THAT good.

The thing that gets me, besides the massive groove underlying this show regardless of the musical style being played is the sweetness of the sound. It sounds like it was done yesterday!!! Don't read any further... get this show now. You'll be so happy!!
The New Riders of the Purple Sage is an awesome capper for the night. You're still reading? Download this show. The Midnight Hour and my little five year old daughters' current fave We Bid You Goodnight... incredible

Peace:Skippy

This has to be one of the first versions and a beauty. The jam>GDRFB is really sweet. Cannot begin to wax eloquently enough abt all of this beauty.

This was a great way to retire from the Fillmore East.
Exceptional versions of "Truckin'" and "Hard to Handle."
By the way, I don't think Bobby's saying "dick" instead of "sleep." I believe he's laughing at the way Garcia's playing during this particular verse. Just listen to those notes Jerry's throwing out. Cracks me up, too!

I don't mean to be juvenile, but, just for fun, listen closely to the Truckin'...."I'd like to get some dick before I travel." (followed by Bobby cracking up...)

8-6-71 sure is a great version, but this one and the one from the night before are essential! What sound quality! The chord progression for the "theme" is B-A-D-F#. No E in there, but a nice theme. They had themes in a similar fashion for songs like China Cat Sunflower, Dark Star (of course we all know several of theme). A run of shows that are up there in the top 4 runs. Little did the world know what was to come in '72!!

While this is a very hot HTH, I prefer the 4/28/71 version. It takes the B-A-E-F# Jam a step further to a similar crescendo. This Primal Jam>GDTRFB is from out of this world!! That little St. Stephen tease keeps you guessing for what will come next. Love this transitional stage for the boys...post-TC, pre-Keith, new material. Great!

Wjile I generally refrain from reviews not pertaining to the show at hand, I msut give my nod to 8/6/71 Hard to Handle. Though the april 71 versions are great. For the stars, I will give 4/29 a 4. Great show, the standards are played excellent, but a little short on jams.

There is no doubt that the recording of this show is clean. I didn't hear one flaw on it at all. The set list is quite extensive as well. This must have been a transition period for them to have a show like this. My only problem is that it is a little low on the "energy" level at times. Some of the songs could have been more up beat.

Nugs....

Couldn't agree more the musical orgasim comment in reference to this version. I've searched far and wide for a version that was as explosive as this one. I could only come up with one conclusion. I feel this is the most explosive climax in a song ever performed by the dead. I know it's brash statement because there is so much out there. If anyone could direct me I'd be more than happy to retract.

I had something like a 64th generation tape of this show and I pretty much wore it out.

I've searched long and hard, and I can say that this (so far) is the undisputed champion of Hard To Handle. It's so hot that it is, most definitely, hard to handle. The final jam is a musical orgasm.

Any time someone questions why I love the Dead so much, I play this version for them (by the end, they're usually dancin their shoes off).

If anyone knows of other contenders, please let us all know. If anyone knows of any other song with a climax like this version of Hard To Handle, please let us all know.

Get this show for the Hard To Handle. Keep it for the Alligator > Jam and the Second That Emotion. Enjoy!

MUSICAL ORGASM I tells ya!!!

This show is dynamite....hard to handle is too much......download this now..

this or the other one i forget which i downloaded...there are 2 ...great show and sound quality...and ripple

Great sound, firstly. Why do they sound fullest as a quintet? This stuff comes accross so earnestly. This is as gritty as they get with their rock&roll feel and it's also as folky as they get, yet it all works so amazingly. Bobby and Jerry are best when they share the stage, all are truly in unison - they almost sound like a jug band. The Alligator->jam is the best improvised piece of music I have ever heard from these guys, or anyone.

This is my "I wish I was there" show. The Alligator through Cold Rain And Snow is simply my favorite piece of music by anyone ever. 5 stars doesn't give enough credit to this performance...

It may seem skewed to pick two top shows from consectutive nights, but only the Dead could manage to repeat classic performances twice in a row.Any show with a Ripple and a Morning Dew is already special in my book. And this show is a real rocker. The Bird Song and Cumberland are strong. And the Hard to Handle may be the best ever. The Alligator>Jam is simply amazing, and shows that Bill was now comfortable as the lone drummer. A great show for Pig fans. A true classic. And just look at those encores! Keep this one like a fine wine. Enjoy.
Dr. Flashback ;-)

This show has been in my car for the past couple of days. I can't stop listening to it. It is awesome. I tend to be rather discerning in my opinions. This show lives up to all of the hype. Check out Hard To Handle - PigPen is great and Jerry's riff is right on time. Alligator/Drums/Jam to GDTRFB is choice. GSET kicks. This truly is a must have. Try it yourself. You'll love it.

That this is a must have show. For neophytes out there, this should be among your first acquisitions, along with 2/14/68, 3/2/69, 8/27/72 and almost anything from May '77.

I have long loved this show, but hadn't listened to it in a long time because my tape was only o.k. The sound quality is A++ on this recording - it sounds like Billy is in your living room in the drum solo between Alligator and the fat jam they cruise into. The playing is tight, and jammin'. A great all-time dead show. Get it now.

This particular version has long stood out for me. In the first five minutes, Garcia kind of does a turn out, twice, and you get the sense that this tune might be going somewhere different.

At the six minute mark, Garcia plays with four to six notes, while Lesh vamps. Then, at 6:44, the two of them do what I call "The Theme. Lesh and Garcia carry it themselves, harkening back to their MIT 5/70 jam. They close off The Theme, vamp, duel, then Lesh drops several colossal bombs, and Garcia states the theme again. Great stuff, and not evident on, say, the versions from 4-28 or elsewhere.